UFC headed to Russia in 2013

After news recently surfaced revealing the UFC was in talks with Fedor Emelianenko just prior to the iconic Russian’s decision to retire, it looks like the organization’s interest in the European nation didn’t stop there with plans to promote a show at some point in Russia in the next year. UFC President Dana White spoke about the likelihood of an event in Russia after the press conference for UFC on FOX 6.

“I think what’s going to go on in Russia is we’ll put on a live event there,” said White to reporters, saying an international season of the Ultimate Fighter would likely follow assuming interest was there as expected. “You do the live event and it explodes.”

Russia’s presence on the MMA scene has increased in recent years including the presence of Khabib Nurmagomedov on the UFC’s roster. Nurmagomedov is 19-0 thus far in his career including three wins in the Octagon, the latest of which came a little more than a week ago when he knocked out Thiago Tavares at UFC on FX 7.